This invention relates generally to content transmission over networks, and more particularly to transmitting data for services over a general packet radio service wireless network.
A service may involve transmission or exchange of information, in the form of packets of data over a communication network, between a service provider and a subscriber unit, cooperatively communicating based on a network protocol, such as a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack. In a network protocol stack, among other layers, a transport layer may be responsible for reliably transferring data between two endpoints using source and destination addresses. Although many factors including available bandwidth determine the transmission or flow of data associated with a service, a network may render different quality of services or class of service agreements for several users in myriad applications. Different user applications may transfer data using a quality of service (QoS) that may be negotiated based on available general packet radio service (GPRS) network resources.
In some situations, however, the negotiated QoS alone may not meet one or more requirements of user or upper layer applications. For example, an upper layer application of the TCP/IP network protocol stack, which requires the packet loss rate less than 0.001, cannot be satisfied with a service reliability class of the general packet radio service in which the packet loss rate of 0.01 is guaranteed. In some services, short transfers of data result in idle connections that may introduce latency, making the TCP/IP network protocol stack even more unsuitable in the delivery of short flows of data. Therefore, a gap exists between an application requirement for providing a service and the negotiated QoS.
Thus, there is a continuing need for better ways to transmit data for services over a general packet radio service wireless network.